Achievements

Complete the "Breakout" mission on hard difficulty in less than 25 minutes.

Objectives

Main Objective | Destroy the main prison base

Main Objective | Tosh must survive

Bonus Objective | Kill guards at cell block A

Bonus Objective | Kill guards at cell block B

Mission Walkthrough

You're only going to control one unit in this mission, and that unit is Tosh. You don't need to worry about resource gathering, building units, or any of that usual stuff, though you do get to play with Tosh's unique abilities. Tosh is a spectre, and as you progress through the mission you'll learn about his skills. Start by marching northeast until you run into a batch of enemies and kill them. They can't see you so you don't have to worry about any counter attack.

Further northwest you run into a handful of guards outside a passage and you're told how to use the mindblast technique. The mindblast not only hits a radius of enemies for damage, but it also temporarily stuns them. Using mindblast consumes your energy (it refills slowly with time) so you should only be using it when necessary. Honestly, this situation with the guards isn't necessary so we suggest just blasting them with your gun and following the path northwest.

The mounted turret ahead is capable of detecting you if you walk within its range (the range is displayed via the circular outline on the ground). While you're within its detection range, all enemies nearby will attack you. We suggest using mindblast to simultaneously damage the turret as well as stun the enemies near it. Immediately attack-target the turret to rush in and finish it off before the marines come to and attack you. With the turret destroyed, you can finish the marines without fear of a counter attack.

The next enemy set you run into is set up similarly, though the presence of a siege tank makes things more dangerous. To deal with it, use the new psi shield ability to throw up a defense while Tosh moves in to destroy the turret behind the tank. With the turret destroyed, the tank becomes defenseless, letting you blast it away. A bit further northeast you'll move to a choke point that's defended by the enemies. Follow the ramp on the left to a platform overlooking the enemy territory and start taking out some enemies from beyond the detection range of the turrets.

Around this time, you'll start getting backup from the rebel forces pushing from the south. As you progress further through the mission, you'll effectively be clearing a path for the rebels, but you don't have to concern yourself with their well-being. The rebels are useful for drawing fire away from Tosh while you move in to destroy turrets. As well, it is key that you use rebel medics to refill Tosh's health.

The path through the stage is very linear, though after turning southwest you're an optional bonus objective that'll net you 25,000 credits. There's a guarded area northwest of the main path with a handful of Dominion enemies. You should be able to kill the foot soldiers from outside the detection radius of the turret—position Tosh just outside the ring and order him to hold position. You can't use this to destroy the siege tank behind the fence, so you'll need to use the psi shield ability to guard Tosh while he rushes in to destroy the turret. Destroy all units in the area to fulfill the bonus objective.

Return to the main route and start heading south. There's another choke point with lots of Dominion resistance, and on the left is a ramp you can take to a platform overlooking the Dominion stronghold. Watch for the roving detection zone that's created by the floating raven unit. Wait for the raven to float away before moving close to the platform's ledge where Tosh can destroy the siege tank below (along with any other enemies). With the nearby enemies destroyed, you can allow Tosh to be detected by the raven while you shoot it down.

Go back down the ramp to join the rebel attempt to get past the choke point. There's a turret on the right that's still preventing you from moving around un-detected but there should be few enough enemies that you can use your psi shield to move in and destroy the turret, or stand outside of range and use mindblast from afar to weaken targets. Or just hang back and let the rebels do the work. If you run low on energy, use Tosh's consumption technique on a nearby ally. Preferrably one with lots of health, and one that is near a medic so that you don't feel bad about weakening him.

After pushing through this enemy base and turning north, you'll get word of a second cell block filled with rebel marines that you can liberate, optionally, for another 25,000 credits. Wait for the patrolling raven to float north before entering the cell block B area and proceed to the southern corner. Each time the raven patrols north, move north with it (still behind its detection radius) to slowly whittle away at the enemy forces (start by killing the medic). With this technique, you can kill off all of the attack units before wiping out the raven and completing the bonus objective.

Rejoin the main offensive and push north. You'll learn about another of Tosh's abilities, the tactical nuke strike. Unlike Tosh's other skills, the tactical nuke does not consume Tosh's energy. Rather, it comes with a set number of uses—in this case five—and since we're near the end of the stage, there's no sense in being stingy. Use a tactical nuke on the enemy forces just ahead, being sure to hit the turret and knock it out of commission. Pass northwest through the narrow gate and into the large area ahead that's packed with massive enemies. Plant a tactical nuke in the center of everything, making sure its blast radius catches the two turrets on either side of the massive mechs.

Clear the area and head up the ramp to the east where you can use another nuke to blast another turret and a whole mess of Dominion units. There are two more turrets in the massive yard, one at either corner (northeast and southwest), backed up by plenty of defense. There's no reason not to use your nukes so unload. Help the rebel squad clear the yard of enemies and the mission will end.